Systems for announcing the health of ball screw actuators and ball recirculation

ABSTRACT

A method of determining variations in operating characteristics of a mechanical system having a rotatory mode of operation and bearing balls entrained within a bearing balls recirculation system. There are provided the steps of first monitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical system during a first interval of operation; first analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the first interval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operating impulses; first correlating the operating impulses obtained during the first interval to corresponding angular positions of the rotatory mode of operation; and first producing a first record of the intensity and frequency of the operating impulses obtained during the first interval correlated to the corresponding angular positions of the mechanical system. The health of bearing balls within the recirculation system is determined by monitoring the vibration characteristic of the recirculation system, which is correlatable to the specific bearing balls.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part patent application thatclaims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/785,080, filed Mar. 23, 2006, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/728,214, filed Mar. 23, 2007, now issued on Apr. 29, 2008 as U.S.Pat. No. 7,366,590, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to methods of annunciating impendingfailure and failure in actuators and drive train components, as well asvehicle braking systems.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are present in the prior art a variety of vibration test systemsthat enable vibration analysis of operating mechanical systems todetermine machine conditions and operating characteristics. In some ofthese known systems, a handheld device has an associated probe that istouched to an operating machine. The vibrations of the operating machinecause vibrations sensors in the probe to issue corresponding electricalresponses that are analyzed by the handheld monitoring device. Althoughuseful in the determination of the operating characteristics of anoperating machine, the known vibration test systems are of only limitedutility in determining the operating characteristics of mechanicalsystems that spend little or no time in steady-state modes of operation.

It is a characteristic of actuators, drive train components, vehiclebraking systems, that a significant portion of operation time is spentin transient mode. For example, in a screw drive arrangement of the typeused for controlling aircraft control surfaces, the operation of thescrew drive arrangement is bidirectional over a limited extent.Therefore, this type of drive spends considerable portions of itsoperating cycles in bidirectional ramp-up and ramp-down transientconditions. Only a small portion of the operating cycle, if any, isspent in a steady-state condition.

In the case of drive train components, it is known that these mechanicalsystems can be tested in steady-state condition on a bench. However, inactual use, these mechanical systems are operated in acceleration,deceleration, and reverse modes of operation. Again, the known vibrationtest systems are inadequate to analyze the operating characteristics ofdrive train components in actual use.

Vehicle braking systems are mechanical arrangements that clearly operatein transient modes. In conventional use, the vehicle brakes are appliedwhile the vehicle is operating at speed, and almost immediately the rateof operation is reduced by deceleration. The effects of such transientsare multiplied in vehicle braking systems that are subjected to thestresses of automatic braking systems (ABS).

There is a need in the art for an on-board vibration test system thatmonitors the operation of a mechanical system of the type that operatesprincipally in transient modes, and develops trend, or historical, datathat reflects changes in the operating characteristics of the mechanicalsystem. There is additionally a need for such a system to be useful inthe tracing back of the changes in the overall response of themechanical system to a change in the operating characteristic of aspecific component of the mechanical system.

In addition to the foregoing, in embodiments where the mechanical systemis a ball screw arrangement, there is a need to determined the health ofthe bearing balls and the bearing balls recirculation system. One modeof failure of the mechanical system occurs when the bearing ballsescape. In such a failure mode, the load is transferred to a secondarynut that operates in an acme mode.

A further form of failure occurs when the balls are seized within therecirculation system. In effect, the ball screw operates in an acmemode, and the load is not transferred to the secondary load path, whichoften is an acme nut, until the bearing balls become dangerously worn.

A still further form of ball screw failure occurs when the bearing ballsbecome scuffed, which results in accelerated wear. A ball screwarrangement that is operating with scuffed bearing balls is an unhealthymechanical system that may soon fail.

There is, therefore, a need in the art for a system and methodology thatmonitors the health of a ball screw arrangement, including the bearingballs recirculation system.

There is also a need in the art for a system and methodology thatfacilitates the vibrational analysis of mechanical systems that operatelargely in transient modes.

There is additionally a need for a system that facilitates thedetermination of impending failure of mechanical systems that operatelargely in transient modes.

There is additionally a need for a system that facilitates thedetermination of actual failure of mechanical systems that operatelargely in transient modes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method of determining variations inoperating characteristics of a mechanical system having a rotatory modeof operation. In accordance with a first method aspect of the invention,there are provided the steps of:

first monitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical systemduring a first interval of operation;

first analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the firstinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses;

first correlating the operating impulses obtained during the firstinterval to corresponding angular positions of the rotatory mode ofoperation;

first producing a first record of the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses obtained during the first interval correlated to thecorresponding angular positions of the mechanical system;

second monitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical systemduring a second interval of operation;

second analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the secondinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses;

second correlating the operating impulses obtained during the secondinterval to the corresponding angular positions of the rotatory mode ofoperation of the mechanical system;

second producing a second record of the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses obtained during the second interval correlated to thecorresponding angular positions of the mechanical system;

comparing the first and second records to determine differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals correlated to the corresponding angular positions of themechanical system; and

vibration monitoring of the bearing balls recirculation system.

In one embodiment, there are provided the further steps of:

further monitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical systemduring subsequent intervals of operation of the mechanical system;

further analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the subsequentinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses of the mechanical system during respective subsequentintervals;

further producing a plurality of further records of the intensity andfrequency of the operating impulses obtained during respective ones ofthe subsequent intervals correlated to the corresponding angularpositions of the mechanical system; and

comparing the first, second, and further records to determine a trend inthe differences in the operating impulses obtained during the respectivefirst, second, and subsequent intervals.

In a highly advantageous embodiment, there is further provided the stepof identifying a cause in the mechanical system for the trend in thedifferences in the operating impulses obtained during the respectivefirst, second, and subsequent intervals. In mechanical systems that arerotatory, there is provided the step of identifying a cause in themechanical system for the trend in the differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first, second, and subsequentintervals comprises the further step of acquiring rotatory position dataof the mechanical system. Such a rotary mechanical system is, in someembodiments, a ball screw system, an acme screw system, a vehicle drivetrain, a flight control actuator, or a vehicle braking system.

In a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention, the bearingballs within the bearing balls recirculation system have respectivelydiscernible characteristics that is identified by a bearing ballsrecirculation system vibration monitoring system and correlated tospecific ones of the bearing balls. In this manner, not only is thehealth of each of the bearing balls determinable, but also the directionof bearing balls travel within the bearing balls recirculation system.

In a still further embodiment of the invention, there is furtherprovided the step of quantifying the trend in the differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first, second, andsubsequent intervals comprises the further step of acquiring rotatoryposition data of the mechanical system into respective qualities ofoperation of the mechanical system. Such quantification may include, forexample, good, acceptable, and bad operating conditions that areassociated with respective levels of required maintenance. More detaileddata responsive to the health of the mechanical system is obtained at anoutput of a processor.

The monitoring that is effected during the practice of the presentinvention may be any form of monitoring, such as acoustic signalmonitoring, vibration signal monitoring; or displacement signalmonitoring. The monitored signals, responsive to operating impulsesgenerated by the mechanical system during the respective intervals ofoperation, are subjected to a Fourier analysis.

In accordance with a further method aspect of the invention directed toa flight control actuator, there are provided the steps of:

first monitoring operating impulses generated by the flight controlactuator during a first interval of operation;

first analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the firstinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses;

first correlating the operating impulses obtained during the firstinterval to corresponding angular positions of the rotatory mode ofoperation;

first producing a first record of the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses obtained during the first interval;

second monitoring operating impulses generated by the flight controlactuator during a second interval of operation;

second analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the secondinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses;

second correlating the operating impulses obtained during the secondinterval to the corresponding angular positions of the rotatory mode ofoperation;

second producing a second record of the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses obtained during the second interval;

comparing the first and second records to determine differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals of operation of the flight control actuator;

determining a vibration signature of a bearing balls recirculationsystem; and

determining a mechanical reason for differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first and second intervals ofoperation of the flight control actuator.

In certain embodiments of this further method aspect where the flightcontrol actuator is of the type having bearing elements, one mechanicalreason for differences in the operating impulses obtained during therespective first and second intervals of operation of the flight controlactuator is deformation in the bearing elements. Additionally, inembodiments where the flight control actuator is of the type havingbearing races, mechanical reason for differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first and second intervals ofoperation of the flight control actuator is deformation in the bearingraces. Still further, in embodiments where the flight control actuatoris of the type having a ball screw containing ball bearings, amechanical reason for differences in the operating impulses obtainedduring the respective first and second intervals of operation of theflight control actuator is reduced effectiveness of the ball bearings.In yet further embodiments where the flight control actuator is of thetype having an acme screw, a mechanical reason for differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals of operation of the flight control actuator is increasedfriction.

In embodiments where the flight control actuator is of the type having ascrew shaft, a mechanical reason for differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first and second intervals ofoperation of the flight control actuator is damage to the screw shaft. Afurther reason for differences in the operating impulses obtained duringthe respective first and second intervals of operation of the flightcontrol actuator is a change in the backlash.

The vibration monitoring sensor is installed in some embodiments on theball nut. Alternatively, however, the vibration sensor can be installedon the screw shaft, or both. In embodiments where the sensor isinstalled on the screw shaft, there is additionally provided a data portfor issuing the impulse data responsive to the steps of first and secondmonitoring.

The impulse data is responsive to the steps of first and secondmonitoring and is made available to a user at a data display system.Some of the data from the mechanical system is transmitted using awireless transmission system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Comprehension of the invention is facilitated by the annexed drawing, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic and function block representation of anannunciation arrangement for a ball screw actuator; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic and function block representation of anannunciation arrangement for a ball screw actuator having incorporatedtherein a system for monitoring the health of bearing balls and thebearing ball return system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic and function block representation of anannunciation arrangement 100 for a ball screw actuator. As shown in thisfigure, a screw shaft 110 is configured to engage a ball nut 115, andthere is provided a ball recirculating system 117 that provides amultiplication of bearing balls (not specifically designated) in theinterface between the screw shaft and the ball nut. As screw shaft 110is rotated, illustratively in the direction of torque arrow 120, ballnut 115 is urged in the linear direction in accordance withbidirectional arrow 122.

In this embodiment of the invention, screw shaft 110 is coupled to arotary encoder 130 that issues electrical signals that correspond to theangular position of the screw shaft. There is additionally provided inthis specific illustrative embodiment of the invention a vibrationtransducer 132 that is shown to be directly coupled to the ball nut.Vibration transducer 132 receives acoustic or vibrational ordisplacement information from the ball nut, and produces correspondingsignal that is propagated to a Fast Fourier Processor (FFT) 134. Theoutput of the FFT 134 is propagated to a synchronizer 136 that receivesthe angular position signals from rotary encoder 134. Thus, FFT“snapshots” are correlated to the angular position of the screw shaftand stored in a correlating memory system 140. It is to be noted that insome embodiments of the invention the data from vibration transducer 132is propagated to FFT 134 by means of a wireless transmission system.This, as noted herein, provides significant advantages in applicationswhere the ball screw arrangement is inaccessibly disposed on themechanical system (not shown). In applications where the presentarrangement is installed in an aircraft (not shown), other items of datamay wirelessly be transmitted. However, in some aircraft applicationsthe rotary encoder data is available from the aircraft's system.

A processor 142 receives information from correlating memory system 140,which may, in certain embodiments, contain data corresponding tohistorical FFT snapshots obtained during prior test intervals. Processor142 additionally will, in certain embodiments, maintain a count of theangular position data and correlate same to linear displacement of theball nut along the screw shaft (in the direction of bidirectional arrow122). Thus, trend data responsive to angular position of the screwshaft, which corresponds to possible deflection of bending thereof, andtrend data responsive to linear displacement, which corresponds tothread damage, is obtained. In some embodiments, the recirculation cycleof the bearing balls (not specifically designated) is counted to form adata cycle that will reveal damage to one or more of the bearing balls.All of the foregoing data is made available to a user (not shown) at adisplay 146, in response to data and mode requests entered at an input144.

1. Methods of annunciating failure in flight controls and aerospace jackscrew actuators (ball screws, roller screws, and ACME screws), androtary actuators.

-   -   a. Using System Vibration Signature Monitoring

A compact micro-processor controlled on-line data collection vibrationsignature monitoring system equipped with vibration and/or velocityand/or accelerometers allows early failure detection in jack screws.

Failure related to damage in the moving components of flight controlsand aerospace electromechanical actuators, such as ball screws, rollerscrews, ACME screws, threads, bearing's outer races, inner races, ballbearings, rollers, cage, return tubes or return circuits, anti-backdrivedevices, gear train components, clutches, motor assembly components canbe diagnosed on-line by monitoring the impulses caused by materialdamage in these areas (features/components), measuring the intensity andfrequency of the impulses, and observing the trend of these values overa period of time.

The following types of failures, without limitation, can be diagnosedusing vibration monitoring:

-   -   i. deformation in the bearing elements or races;    -   ii. increased friction (scuffing, skidding);    -   iii. distortion or breakage of the screw shaft (shaft bending        will cause unbalance in the system, therefore periodic        vibrations, and the fracture of the shaft, if the actuator is        still operational, would have a different resonance frequency        due to the different length which would generate a different        vibration signature (response) when excited by the system during        actuation).    -   iv. separation/loss of ball bearings from the ball nut (due to        any reasons, especially due to failure of the ball recirculation        system).    -   v. distortion or breakage of the anti-backdrive (no back)        components such as the pawl, the pawl shaft, the cage or the        thrust plate.

The angular position of the mechanical system is determined fromon-board encoders and resolvers that are coupled to a system shaft. Insome embodiments, it is advantageous to know the RPM of the system sothat the outside noise can be filtered out and a clean signal extractedfor analysis.

If the failure monitoring pertains to a flight control actuator, andbecause vibration monitoring testing requires higher RPMs, the testsare, in certain embodiments, conducted on the ground, at predeterminedmaintenance cycles. In a preferred embodiment, however, themicroprocessor unit is an integral part of the actuator system and,coupled with angular position determining circuitry, can be used toanalyze the mechanical system during actual use in transient modes.However, depending on the test frequency, it can also be designed asaircraft ground maintenance equipment.

-   -   b. Using Strain Gages

The secondary load path elements in actuators are sometimes preloaded(e.g. tie rod mounted through the screw shaft of an actuator). Thepreload is necessary in some applications to increase the columnbuckling stability of the screw shaft under compressive stresses. Thesecondary load path in the case of a tie rod serves the purpose ofcarrying the total load in case of failure of the primary load path(e.g. screw shaft).

Detecting dormant failures of such elements is critical. The strain gageis, in some embodiments, permanently attached to a component operatingunder constant compressive or tension stress, and appropriate ports foreffecting electrical communication can, in certain embodiments, bedisposed in an accessible external socket of the actuator system. Afterthe assembly operation is finalized and the subject component that needsto be monitored has been preloaded, an “initial condition” (“birthcertificate”) reading as supplied, for example, by OEM, can be taken andrecorded (electronically or manually) by connecting a data reading ordata-acquisition instrument to the external socket where the strain gageis connected.

At further maintenance cycles, or during on-line live monitoring, thepreload variance can be monitored, studied for trends, and used forfailure diagnostic and warning indicators triggering (e.g. a fracture ina tie rod operating in tension, would indicate zero stresses afterfracture and the system would announce failure after comparing this newreading with the initial calibration reading recorded at the time thesystem was manufactured or placed in service after maintenance).

-   -   c. ACME Screw (Square Thread, Castle Thread, Etc.)        Actuators—Using Sliding Friction Threads Backlash Indicator

A probe is attached to the end face, in lieu of a sector of threadinside the of the ACME nut, or in lieu of a sector of thread on thescrew. The maximum allowable backlash in the unit resulting either dueto wear of the nut threads or screw threads, depending on the geometryof the thread, will determine (using basic geometry and trigonometrymath formulas), a set distance to the flanks of the threads.

Any excessive wear in the threads will cause the probe to engage withthe threads and the failure to be detected.

Many faults and types of damage in linear and rotary actuator systemslead to mechanical vibrations with frequencies directly related to therotational speed of their components or rotor. Of special interests aree.g., unbalance, alignment errors, ball bearing-pass frequencies, gearmesh frequencies in gearboxes, that occur as rotor-synchronousvibrations or harmonics (orders) of the rotor's rotational frequency.

The vibration behavior that the actuator system exhibits over the entirespeed range will provide important information about the resonanceprofile of the actuator system, which later can be used for diagnosticpurposes. The FFT spectrum can be used for the faults and damageanalysis of an actuator system. In a highly advantageous embodiment pothe invention, FFT snapshots are correlated to angular position of themechanical system. In addition to enabling assessment of the operationof a mechanical system that operates in transient modes, suchcorrelation to angular position facilitates identification of amechanical system component that is about to fail, as evidenced bychanges in the angular position correlated FFT snapshots over time. Byemploying a precise and accurate tracking analysis, an extremely fastand selective narrowband measurement of rotor synchronous vibrations canbe measured. Thus the most significant vibration signals from theactuator system can be analyzed in any operating phase: stationaryoperation, run-up, coast-down, reverse, or over a longer time, toaccount for the thermal mechanical events of the actuator system.

The operation of the present invention is enhanced in certainembodiments by archiving the data locally (in a memory chip attached tothe actuator), whether while performing online monitoring or off-linemeasurements, the overall readings, the current value, the previousvalue and the relationship with the alarm value shall always beavailable. Based on a pass or fail criteria an alarm signal is, incertain embodiments, provided when the vibration measurementinstrumentation detects out-of-range or otherwise unacceptable values,or a modified profile of the readings compared to the baselineconfiguration and vibration signature model stored at the beginning oflife of the actuator. Various failure modes (such as ball bearingdamage, ball bearing escape and separation from the assembly, gear toothbreakage, skewered roller damage, ratchet or pawl fracture, radialbearings failure, slip clutch components failure, tie rod or torsion rodfailure, etc.), can be simulated and induced into the system duringqualification testing of the actuator, to ensure proper calibration andunderstanding of the impact produced by the failure of each of thedifferent components onto the overall vibration signature of theassembly.

The use of such vibration diagnostic annunciation system allows earlydetection of impending failure, before its magnitude becomes critical orcatastrophic. The vibration annunciation method of the present inventionis useful to detect numerous failure types such as, but not limited to,ball escape, bearing race pitting or spalling, cracking or fracture ofrotary or stationary components. Problems arising from unbalance,misalignment, gear damage, bearing damage, can be recognized at an earlystage. Impulses caused by damage to the outer race or inner race of abearing surface, to the roller(s) or ball bearing(s), or correspondingcages are a good indicator of the bearing condition. Reliable monitoringof the actuator assembly condition is possible by measuring theintensity and frequency of the impulses, and observation of the trend ofthese values over a period of time allows accurate diagnostic of theintegrity and operation readiness of the jackscrew actuator.

Flight control actuator system damage and losses related to abnormalaircraft operations (unscheduled repairs or accidents), as a result offailed actuator can be successfully avoided by monitoring the “health”(structural integrity) of the actuator system by using the vibrationmonitoring failure annunciation.

In general aerospace applications, and specifically in flight controlsactuation, weight control and reduction is very important. The advantageof using active vibration monitoring failure annunciation consists inminimum weight increase to the actuator system, consisting of two tothree pickups (accelerometers), and wiring. The rest of the diagnosticlogic can be supplied in a separate enclosure dedicated to datacollection and monitoring the vibration signature of the actuatorsystem, or it can easily be integrated into the existing flight controlcomputers of the aircraft as an additional subroutine in the complexsoftware programs that already govern the functionality of the flightcontrol systems with today's modern aircraft.

The accelerometer probes can be mounted on the actuator assembly housingor attached directly to various subcomponents of the system. In somecases for the evaluation of the actuator system condition, simultaneousmeasurements from two points on this actuator system must be considered,i.e., a simultaneous acquisition through two channels of the instrumentwould be required for comprehensive diagnosis of the actuator system. Adual channel operation approach will be more accurate in providingreliable measurements on the system.

For systematic acquisition evaluation of all measurements types forpredictive actuator maintenance, the following types of readings can beused: amplitude phase versus speed check amplitude phase versus time.

For efficient fault detection multiband pass space filters in thefrequency range of measurement can be applied. The computerinstrumentation software can be tailored to various operating ranges ofthe actuator system, and a database archiving system can provideinformation for predictive actuator system diagnostic and maintenance.

The vibration diagnostic method will allow predictive actuator systemmaintenance, therefore higher levels of aircraft availability for flightmissions (dispatchability) prevention of unscheduled repairs, limitationof flight control system components damage or flight incidents, by earlyfault diagnosis, lengthening of intervals between inspections and timelyplanning to have optimally scheduled repair actions are the basis forthe cost-effective significance of this strategy for an entire company.

The prerequisite for this is continuous knowledge of the currentactuator system condition during operation. Mechanical vibrations,bearing condition values, speeds and process values are authoritativeindicators with which the actuator system condition can be assessed anddiagnosed. Which characteristic parameters should be acquired and howoften, depends not only on the complexity and absolute value of theactuator system but also on the criticality of the aircraft system thatis monitored.

The characteristic parameters will be calibrated on the monitoringsystem and initial vibration signature certificates will be recorded atentrance into service, as mounted on the aircraft. This represents areference data set that will be used as a baseline, and will betherefore considered a normal operating condition data set.

The periodic readings, whether online with active sensors mounted on theactuator housing or attached directly to specific components, oroff-line at predetermined maintenance checks intervals, can be archivedvia computer software and a common database for all measured data.

Standard acceleration, velocity and displacement sensors can be used.

The measuring functions that can be employed in the vibrationdiagnostic, are:

Absolute bearing vibrations relative shaft vibrations bearing conditionspeed measurement tempted to measurement damage to the internal andexternal lead screw threads, failure of the ratchet pawls of theanti-backlash brake (No Back), damage to the skewed roller clutchcomponents (rollers, cage).

It is advisable to employ instrumentation that allows flexibleconfigurations for various setups of the high and low pass filters forbroadband measurement. This guarantees optimum adaptation to theindividual measurement task. It is advisable to employ an averagingfunction for noise influence.

Damaging the internal components of an actuator system, such as materialseparation from the screw or nut threads, pitting and spalling of therollers and ball bearings, breakage of the ratchet-pawls in a slipclutch, breakage in the cage of the skewed roller clutch, would resultin a beat effect which will be easily detectable when recordingfrequency versus time.

If unacceptably high overall vibrations, intermittent beatings orbearing conditions, are found in the process of monitoring anddiagnosing actuator system health, the causes can be identified by usingfrequency analysis (FFT) and envelope analysis. The anomalies (increasedvibrations), can be traced to unbalance, misalignment, a bearing or gearfault or some other source.

The control and failure-detection in torsion, compression, or tensionstressed beams using strain gage measurement can effectively be used inpreventing catastrophic failures by early detection of dormant secondaryload path failures, and is mostly beneficial in difficult to accessareas of the airplane, where visual or direct access inspection can beaccomplished only by disassembly of a multitude of components. Asexample, but not limited to, the hard to access internal tie rod ortorsional spring assemblies are good candidates for this monitoringmethod.

The early detection of upcoming failure with minimum invasivedisassembly and labor, is critical in flight controls actuators. Thesecondary load path failure through cracking, and ultimately throughfracture of the tie rod or torsion rod inside the screw shaft of anactuator can be identified and diagnosed by employing strain gaugesmounted directly on the broad shaft, either by using a single probe ormultiple (odd number) probes setup for a logical voting decision makingprocess within the monitoring or diagnostic instrumentation.

The strain gauges can be attached directly to the rod that is operatingunder tension, compression or torsion stresses. The corresponding wiringfrom these strain gauges shall be then routed in a specifically designedgap between the inner diameter of the screw shaft and the outsideprofile of the tie rod, or in a different manner (channels on theoutside surface of the rod, drilled holes in the rod, etc.), towards theend face of the rod that protrudes outside of the screw shaft, andoutside of the actuator where possible. In this location the wiring isrouted to a connector that is available to be used by either themaintenance personnel, equipped with an off-line piece ofinstrumentation, or connected on-line directly to the flight controlcomputers of the airplane for active monitoring of the secondary loadpath integrity inside the screw shaft of the actuator.

The use of noninvasive methods that allow continuous on-line remotemonitoring and a highly reliable operation readiness of the internalcomponents in a flight control actuator, is beneficial because it alsominimizes the probability of errors that may occur in case maintenancepersonnel would have to disassemble many components to expose andinspect internal features that are provided for the safety of theactuator system. The probability of errors in reassembling thecomponents in a prescribed order to ensure proper functionality of theactuator system is reduced or eliminated by using this method (straingauges wired to an external connector or by using strain gauges thatwill report wirelessly the status of the stresses at their location),therefore the system safety will be increased when employing this typeof monitoring and diagnostic method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic and function block representation of anannunciation arrangement 200 for a ball screw actuator havingincorporated therein a system for monitoring the health of bearing ballsand the bearing ball return system. Elements of structure that havepreviously been discussed are similarly designated in this figure.

There is shown in this figure adjacent to ball recirculating system 117a bearing ball sensor 230 that is configured to sense the passage ofbearing balls. In particular, ball recirculating system 117, in thisspecific illustrative embodiment of the invention, distinguishes betweenthe conventional bearing balls (not specifically designated) and bearingballs 225 (marked with an “X”). Bearing balls 225 are possessed of adiscernable characteristic, such as a magnetic characteristic, that isobservable by ball recirculating system 117 through the bearing ballsreturn conduit. In addition, bearing balls 225 are arranged within thetrain of bearing balls in accordance with a predetermined sequence,whereby the number of bearing balls and the direction of travel withinball recirculating system 117 can be determined. For example, bearingballs 225 can be staggered within the bearing balls train as two suchbearing balls 225 (a first pair of bearing balls) being disposedadjacent to one another and an additional bearing ball 225 separatedfrom the first pair. In this manner, the total number of bearing ballsand their direction of travel within ball recirculating system 117 canbe determined. In addition, as will be discussed below, the health ofrespective ones of the bearing balls can be determined by analyzing theacoustic characteristic associated with each such bearing ball.

The output of bearing ball sensor 230 is delivered to a bearing ballscounter 236 that maintains a sequential count of the bearing balls. Thisdata then is delivered to a correlating memory system 240 that, asdescribed below, correlates each of the bearing balls to an associatedacoustic signature.

The acoustic signature is derived from a signal provided by an acousticor vibration sensor 232. The vibration signal is propagated,illustratively wirelessly to, subjected to a frequency analysis at, anFFT 234. The output of FFT 234 is correlated to the associated ones ofthe bearing balls at correlating memory system 240, the output of whichis delivered to processor 142. In some embodiments of the invention thecorrelating memory systems and the FFT systems are incorporated with theprocessor in a single device, which may be an ASIC (not shown). In otherembodiments, bearing ball sensor 230 and vibration sensor 232 arecombined as a single sensor. In such embodiments where the sensors arecombined, bearing balls 235 can be configured to produce a predeterminedacoustic signature that is distinguishable over the acoustic signaturesof the other bearing balls.

The resulting data is displayed at display 146, which in someembodiments of the invention is a computer display, or may simply be oneor more indicator lamps. In addition, a data output port may be providedfor communicating the health of the ball screw and its associatedbearing balls and ball recirculating system to a maintenance system (notshown).

In a still further embodiment of the invention, the health of therecirculation system is determined by analyzing a vibrationcharacteristic of the system, and subtracting therefrom in the processorthe vibration characteristic of the ball nut.

Although the invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments and applications, persons skilled in the art may, in lightof this teaching, generate additional embodiments without exceeding thescope or departing from the spirit of the invention described herein.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawing and description inthis disclosure are proffered to facilitate comprehension of theinvention, and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.

1. A method of determining variations in operating characteristics of amechanical system having a rotatory mode of operation and a bearingballs recirculation system, the method comprising the steps of: firstmonitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical system duringa first interval of operation; first analyzing the operating impulsesobtained during the first interval to determine the intensity andfrequency of the operating impulses; first correlating the operatingimpulses obtained during the first interval to corresponding angularpositions of the rotatory mode of operation; first producing a firstrecord of the intensity and frequency of the operating impulses obtainedduring the first interval correlated to the corresponding angularpositions of the mechanical system; second monitoring operating impulsesgenerated by the mechanical system during a second interval ofoperation; second analyzing the operating impulses obtained during thesecond interval to determine the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses; second correlating the operating impulses obtainedduring the second interval to the corresponding angular positions of therotatory mode of operation of the mechanical system; second producing asecond record of the intensity and frequency of the operating impulsesobtained during the second interval correlated to the correspondingangular positions of the mechanical system; comparing the first andsecond records to determine differences in the operating impulsesobtained during the respective first and second intervals correlated tothe corresponding angular positions of the mechanical system; andvibration monitoring of the bearing balls recirculation system.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein there are provided the further steps of:further monitoring operating impulses generated by the mechanical systemduring subsequent intervals of operation of the mechanical system;further analyzing the operating impulses obtained during the subsequentinterval to determine the intensity and frequency of the operatingimpulses of the mechanical system during respective subsequentintervals; further producing a plurality of further records of theintensity and frequency of the operating impulses obtained duringrespective ones of the subsequent intervals correlated to thecorresponding angular positions of the mechanical system; and comparingthe first, second, and further records to determine a trend in thedifferences in the operating impulses obtained during the respectivefirst, second, and subsequent intervals.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein there is further provided the step of identifying a cause in themechanical system for the trend in the differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first, second, and subsequentintervals.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mechanical system is arotatory mechanical system and said step of identifying a cause in themechanical system for the trend in the differences in the operatingimpulses obtained during the respective first, second, and subsequentintervals comprises the further step of acquiring rotatory position dataof the mechanical system.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein themechanical system is a ball screw system.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the bearing balls in the bearing balls recirculation system haverespectively discernible characteristics.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein bearing balls having respectively associated predetermineddiscernible characteristics are arranged in a determined sequence withina train of bearing balls.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step ofvibration monitoring of the bearing balls recirculation system comprisesthe steps of: determining a vibration signature of the bearing ballsrecirculation system; and determining a differential between thevibration signature of the bearing balls recirculation system and avibration signature of a ball nut.
 9. A method of determining variationsin operating characteristics of a flight control actuator having arotatory mode of operation, the method comprising the steps of: firstmonitoring operating impulses generated by the flight control actuatorduring a first interval of operation; first analyzing the operatingimpulses obtained during the first interval to determine the intensityand frequency of the operating impulses; first correlating the operatingimpulses obtained during the first interval to corresponding angularpositions of the rotatory mode of operation; first producing a firstrecord of the intensity and frequency of the operating impulses obtainedduring the first interval; second monitoring operating impulsesgenerated by the flight control actuator during a second interval ofoperation; second analyzing the operating impulses obtained during thesecond interval to determine the intensity and frequency of theoperating impulses; second correlating the operating impulses obtainedduring the second interval to the corresponding angular positions of therotatory mode of operation; second producing a second record of theintensity and frequency of the operating impulses obtained during thesecond interval; comparing the first and second records to determinedifferences in the operating impulses obtained during the respectivefirst and second intervals of operation of the flight control actuator;determining a vibration signature of a bearing balls recirculationsystem; and determining a mechanical reason for differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals of operation of the flight control actuator.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the flight control actuator is of the type havingbearing elements, and the mechanical reason for differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals of operation of the flight control actuator is deformation inthe bearing elements.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein there isfurther provided the step of correlating the vibration signature of thebearing balls recirculation system to characteristics of the bearingballs.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein there is further provided thestep of determining a direction of travel of the bearing balls in thebearing balls recirculation system.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinthere is further provided the step of determining a wear condition ofthe bearing balls in the bearing balls recirculation system.
 14. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the flight control actuator is of the typehaving bearing races, and the mechanical reason for differences in theoperating impulses obtained during the respective first and secondintervals of operation of the flight control actuator is deformation inthe bearing races.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the flight controlactuator is of the type having a ball screw containing ball bearings,and the mechanical reason for differences in the operating impulsesobtained during the respective first and second intervals of operationof the flight control actuator is reduced effectiveness of the ballbearings.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein the flight control actuatoris of the type having an acme screw, and the mechanical reason fordifferences in the operating impulses obtained during the respectivefirst and second intervals of operation of the flight control actuatoris increased friction.
 17. The method of claim 9, wherein the flightcontrol actuator is of the type having a screw shaft, and the mechanicalreason for differences in the operating impulses obtained during therespective first and second intervals of operation of the flight controlactuator is damage to the screw shaft.
 18. The method of claim 9,wherein the flight control actuator is of the type having a screw shaft,and the mechanical reason for differences in the operating impulsesobtained during the respective first and second intervals of operationof the flight control actuator is a change in the backlash.
 19. Themethod of claim 9, wherein there is further provided the step ofinstalling a monitoring system in the flight control actuator forperforming said steps of first and second monitoring, the monitoringsystem having a data port for issuing impulse data responsive to saidsteps of first and second monitoring and data responsive to thecondition of the bearing balls in the bearing balls recirculationsystem.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data responsive to thecondition of the bearing balls in the bearing balls recirculation systemis representative of the presence of bearing balls in the bearing ballsrecirculation system.